Expressing aesthetically feelings and thoughts, dance generally provides such positive effects as pursuit of leisure, self-improvement, body shaping, and wellness. However, in spite of those positive effects given to participants, dance is still rest...
Expressing aesthetically feelings and thoughts, dance generally provides such positive effects as pursuit of leisure, self-improvement, body shaping, and wellness. However, in spite of those positive effects given to participants, dance is still restrained mostly as fine arts. That is, ballet dance, traditional Korean dance, and modern dance have been recognized in a genre of concert dance, which recreational forms of dance cannot fit in. Given that, popularization of dance still has its long way to achieve.
Referring to recreational dancing, literature over the years focus mainly on performance, its relationship marketing, or service quality of private lessons; however, scant attention have been paid to the in-depth relationship between the service provider (dance instructor) and customers (dance class participants). Thus, it should be important to comprehend nonverbal communication of the dance instructor in order to increase participants in recreational dancing.
The present study intended to verify the effect which dance instructors give to dance class participants through dance lessons in terms of marketing. Especially, this study focused on how nonverbal communication of the instructors affect on customer loyalty through other variables. So, a causal relationship between nonverbal communication; customer participation, which consists of physical input, emotional input, and informational input; customer satisfaction; and, customer loyalty was investigated for this study.
The target population of this study are people who participate in centers for culture, recreation centers, or a dance studios in Seoul metropolitan area, Busan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. For this study, 400 sample were selected using convenience sampling method. Among the 400 responses, the study excluded 80 invalid responses due to the unfinished, the improperly marked, and the biased; and, finally selected 320 for the analysis.
This study employed a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire with 34 items was designed to measure nonverbal communication (12 items), customer participation (9 items), customer satisfaction (5 items), customer loyalty (3 items). Those items were constructed in the five point Likert scale. By using the SPSS version 15.0 and AMOS version 7.0., statistical analyses for collected data were performed including an exploratory factor analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis, a Cronbach’s alpha, and a structural equation modeling. The statistical significance was determined at the level of .05.
The results are as followed. First, nonverbal communication of dance instructor had a positive effect on physical input of customer participation. Second, nonverbal communication of dance instructor had a positive effect on emotional input of customer participation. Third, nonverbal communication of dance instructor had a positive effect on informational input of customer participation. Fourth, physical input of customer participations had a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Fifth, emotional input of customer participation had a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Sixth, informational input of customer participation had not a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Seventh, customer satisfaction had a positive effect on customer loyalty.
According to the results, nonverbal communication of a dance instructor in recreational dance class effects customer participation, and continuously effects customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. That is, the nonverbal communication is a very important factor for boosting dance class participation and satisfaction of customers’.
As a service provider, a dance instructor’s positive nonverbal communication in session offers opportunities participants being in more serious and active manner, and provides more satisfaction. Unlike the previous literature which concentrated the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, it is noted in the present study that customer participation prior to the customer satisfaction also works towards the customer loyalty. Therefore, equipping tender and charismatic leadership, an instructor with should endeavor to attract the participants more active and serious in mutually respecting circumstance in order to increase the satisfaction of dance lesson participants.
Key Words : nonverbal communication, customer participation, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty